January 7, 2009

Forget about giant scary nitric acid spills, I seem to be able to harm myself in my own home. Last night, I decided to make some tea, so I put the kettle on the stove and turned on the burner. I went into the living room to wait for it to whistle. After a few minutes, it seemed to be taking a long time, so I went into the kitchen to check on it. There on the front burner was the casserole dish from dinner, with a plastic serving spoon in it and a lid on top. The spoon was burning, sending plumes of nasty smoke into the top of the lid and out through the crack. I quickly shut off the burner, grabbed two potholders, and slid the dish to another burner. But the smell was pretty gross, and Patrick banished me from the kitchen while he helpfully dealt with my mistake. Somehow, I can manage to send off toxic fumes even in my own house, which is rather more worrisome than a little nitric acid on occasion.

Here's a picture of the spoon (upside down), still sitting outside on the picnic table with the casserole dish and top.

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is a bioarchaeologist and assistant professor at the University of West Florida. This is her personal blog about archaeology, bioanthropology, and the classical world. Follow her on Twitter (@DrKillgrove) or G+, or follow PbO on Facebook.